Dual control firing mechanism



1956 A. BENDITT EIAL 2,759,398

DUAL CONTROL FIRING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 19, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l Fill. INVENTORS Fl. 2 o WALTON MUSSER Y ALBERT 'BENDIT'E' M v44 1. 3M

ATTORNEYS:

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A. BENDITT ETAL DUAL CONTROL FIRING MECHANISM Aug. 21,1956 Filed Aug. 19, 1952 INVENTORS C WALTON MUSSER ALBERT BENDITT FIG. 6

ATTORNEYS:

nited States Patent Albert Benditt and C Walton Musser, Philadelphia,Pa.,

assignors to the United States of America as represented by theSecretary of the Army Application August 19, 1952, Serial No. 305,314

9 Claims. (Cl. 89-27) (Granted under Title 35, U. S. Code (1952), see.266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by orfor the Government for governmental purposes without the payment of anyroyalty thereon.

The present invention relates to guns having a percussion-type firingmechanism, and more particularly to a dual control arrangement wherebythe firing mechanism may be operated from either a proximate or a remoteposition with respect to the gun on which it is mounted.

Heretofore, it has been a matter of common practice to provide a gunhaving a percussion-type firing mechanism with a mechanical control foroperating the firing mechanism which is a part of the breech mechanism.The arrangement of parts is such that the breech bar and one of thehandles used to operate the breech for reloading purposes also carriesthe sear and trigger parts used to release the firing mechanism. Thus, asingle person can operate the gun both for reloading and for firing froma position in proximity to the gun. However, with the currentdevelopment of weapons, it becomes desirable under certain conditions tofire weapons of the type mentioned above from a remote position as wellas from a proximate position. With this arrangement in mind, the matterof safety becomes a primary factor. If a dual control mechanism isprovided for firing the gun, consideration must be given to preventingaccidental firing of the mechanism as well as to preventing prematurefiring through operation of either control prior to the gun being fullyloaded and ready to fire.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the invention to provide animproved mechanism for firing a percussiontype gun.

More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide adual control apparatus whereby a gun may be fired from either a remoteor a proximate position with respect to the gun.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a dual controlfiring mechanism with safety controls to guard against accidentalfiring.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a dualcontrol firing mechanism with safety controls effective to avertpremature firing by the use of either control prior to the gun beingfully loaded and ready to fire.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide both proximateand remote controls for a percussion-type firing mechanism which areindependently operable.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide, for apercussion-type firing mechanism a combination proximate and remotecontrol apparatus which is simple in construction, highly efiicient inuse and which is readily adaptable to guns of present design.

In accordance with the present invention, separate proximate and remotecontrols are provided for operating a scar connected between each of thecontrols and the percussion hammer of the firing mechanism. Thearrangement of parts is such that the sear may be withdrawn from thehammer to fire the gun by either the proximate control or the remotecontrol independently of each other.

2,759,398 Patented Aug. 21, 1956 The novel features characteristic ofthe present invention, as well as additional objects and advantagesthereof, will be better understood from the following detaileddescription, when read in connection with the accompanying drawings inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary, rear view of a gun provided with a controlapparatus in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, side view, partly in section, of the apparatusshown in Fig. 1, taken on the line 2-2 of Figl and with portions of theremote control housing broken away to show construction details, theremote control apparatus being shown in a cocked position ready to fire;

Fig. 2A is a view of a. portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 2 butwith the remote control apparatus shown in a fired position;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a portion of the remote control apparatus,taken along the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is asectional view ofa portion of the remote control apparatus,taken along the line 44 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the dual control apparatus,taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 1, the parts being shown in a cockedposition ready to fire;

Fig. 5A is a view similar to Fig. 5 but showing the remote. controlapparatus disposed in an intermediate position preparatory to firing;

Fig. 5B. is a view similar to Fig. 5 but showing the parts after the gunhas been fired by using the remote control apparatus;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the resetting guide member, taken alongthe line 66 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 7 is a central sectional view of the breech bar handle showingparts of the proximity control apparatus.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, wherein similar referencecharacters designate corresponding parts throughout, the presentinvention is shown applied to the rear portion of a weapon or gun 1comprising a gun chamber 3 secured to and extending rearwardly from thegun barrel (not shown) and a breech mechanism 5 carried by the chamber.

The gun chamber 3 is cylindrical in shape and has portions 7 of itsinternal surface threaded to engage complementary threaded members orportions 8 provided on the breech mechanism 5 for the purpose of lockingthe breech within the rear portion of the chamber, in a manner and forreasons well known in theart.

The breech mechanism 5 comprises a breech block 9 rotatably carried by acylindrical block 11, a breech bar 13 and operating handle 14 and apercussion-type firing mechanism 15. The cylindrical block 11 issupported by a hinge arm 17 which is pivotally attached to the bottom ofthe chamber 3 or otherwise arranged so that the breech block 9 can bemoved into and out of the chamber when in an unlocked position. Thebreech bar 13 is attached to the breech block 9 and arranged so that itis disposed in a horizontal position normally when the breech block islocked within the chamber. The mechanism is also arranged in such amanner that rotation of the bar 13 and the handle 14 together with thebreech block 9, in a clockwise direction as seen from the rear of thegun, will unlock the breech block. In the unlocked position, the breechcan then be moved rearwardly and outwardly from the chamber for loadingthe gun.

The percussion-type firing mechanism 15 comprises a firing pin 19, apercussion hammer 21 attached to the firing pin, a firing spring 23 anda scar 25. The firing pin, hammer and spring are mounted within acentrallydisposed portion 27 of the breech bar 13 which is arranged toprovide a cylindrical housing therefor. The

housing 27 is disposed along the gun bore axis when the breech mechanism5 is located in a closed position. The parts are arranged in such amanner that, when the breech bar 13 is rotated clockwise to open thebreech, apparatus (not shown) associated therewith will automaticallydraw the firing pin and hammer rearwardly and compress the spring into abiased position. In such a position, the firing mechanism is said to becocked.

The scar 25 is provided as a means for holding and locking the firingpin 19 and hammer 21 in a cocked position until the gun is ready to befired. The sear comprises an elongated bar which is slidably mounted ina groove or slot 29 provided in the breech bar 13 between the rear wall31 of the bar and a front cover plate 33.

can be moved into and out of a recess 37 provided in a side of thehammer (see Fig. 5). The firing spring 23 is located in back of thehammer so that when the hammer drawal of the sear from the hammer, thespring will forcibly move the hammer forwardly thereby to fire the gun.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, thetrigger or control apparatus for operating the firing mechanismcomprises a dual control arrangement whereby the gun can be fired eitherfrom a proximate position or from a remote position.

In the particular embodiment shown, the proximate control 39 for firingthe gun comprises a trigger apparatus of a kind similar to thearrangement more particularly shown and described in the patent to W. I.Kroeger et al., 2,537,063. However, it may be of any other suitable kindwhich will effect longitudinal movement of the sear 25. The proximitycontrol 39 includes a trigger or plunger-like member 41 arranged forslidable, longitudinal movement within the breech operating handle 14.The forward end 43 of the plunger-like member 41 is of reduced diameterto provide a button which extends through an opening 45 provided in thefree end of the handle (see Fig. 7). A trigger spring 47 is disposedwithin the handle 14 and in back of the trigger member 41 in such amanner as to normally bias the trigger 41 forwardly, that is, outwardlytoward the free end of the handle. A sear link 49 is provided forconnecting the trigger 41 with the sear 25. The sear link, like thesear, is disposed within the groove 29 of the breech bar 13 and isarranged as a longitudinal extension of the sear. The outer end portion51 of the sear link remote from the sear is disposed at an angle withrespect to the remainder of the sear link. This outer end portion 51 isslidably arranged within a slot or opening 53 provided in the triggerend remote from the trigger button 43. The angular relationship of thetrigger slot 53, and the sear link end 51, is such that, upon pressingthe button 43 inwardly of the handle, it will effect longitudinalmovement of the sear link in a direction radially outwardly with respectto the gun. The trigger spring 47, will, upon release of the button 43,urge the trigger in a forward direction and, at the same time, move thesear link in a direction radially inwardly thereby to return theproximate control 39 to its normal rest position.

Interengagement of the sear link 49 and the sear 25 'is accomplished byportions 55, 57 of their respective adjacent ends being overlapped. Boththe sear link and sear are of stepped construction longitudinally,particularly in the vicinity of their overlapped portions. As shown inFig. 5 of the drawings, the sear link inner end portion 55 is offsetforwardly with respect to the gun and the sear outer end portion 57 isoffset rearwardly. The stepped construction of the sear 25 provides arecess is withdrawn to a cocked position where it is held by the sear,the spring will be compressed. Upon with i the rear wall 31 and thecover plate 33.

59 adjacent to and inwardly of its offset portion which is complementaryto the sear link inner end portion 55 so that the inner end portion maybe disposed within this recess. The stepped construction of the searlink 49 provides a recess 61 adjacent to and outwardly of its offset endportion 55 but this recess is of a length greater than the length of thesear outer end portion 57. With this arrangement, the proximity controlmay be said to operate as a longitudinal extension of the sear.

In order to hold the sear and sear link 49 in engagement with eachother, a leaf spring 62 is disposed in the breech bar groove 29. Theleaf spring is located rearwardly of and in contact with the sear linkinner end portion and a portion 63 of the sear 25 intermediate the endsthereof. The leaf spring is biased between the rear wall 31 of thebreech bar and the portions of the sear link and sear with which it isin contact. The biased condition of the leaf spring is such that iturges the sear and sear link in a forwardly direction, that is, towardthe breech bar cover plate 33. In this forwardly biased position, thesear link inner end portion 55 is maintained in the sear recess 59 sothat the sear link and sear are held in a normal locked position. Inother words, the locked position of the scar and sear link is such thatthese members then operate as an integral member in the same manner thatthe sear operates in the aforementioned patent.

For the purpose of facilitating unlocking the sear lmk 49 from the sear25 thereby to condition the apparatus for operation by the remotecontrol means, the sear link and the sear are arranged for limitedmovement withm the breech bar groove against the biased condition of theleaf spring. This is accomplished by making the scar and sear link of athickness throughout the greater portion of their lengths less than thedepth of the breech bar groove 29, that is, the depth of such groove asmeasured between In addition thereto, the portions 64, 65 of the searand sear link located adjacent to opposite ends of the breech bar grooveare of a thickness substantially equal to the depth of the groove inorder to provide a bearing .at those points to facilitate movementlongitudinally within the groove and also to permit pivotal movementabout those points in a manner such that the overlapped portions of themembers may be moved both forwardly and rearwardly with respect to thegun. The relatively long length from the pivot points of the members totheir overlapped ends is such that a limited amount of clearance betweentheir remotely disposed ends and the parts of the apparatus they areassociated with permits the members to be moved an amount necessary towithdraw the sear link inner curl portion 55 from the sear recess 59.Rearward movement unlocks the two members so that the sear is free formovement independently of the sear link. The length of the searreceiving recess 61 in the sear link and a second sear recess 66provided inwardly of and next to the sear link receiving recess 59 arearranged so that the sear can override the sear link when in theunlocked position thereof.

The remote control 67 for firing the gun, in accordance with a preferredembodiment of the present invention, comprises a cam operative triggermechanism attached to the outer surface of the gun chamber 3 and locatedforwardly of and opposite the breech bar 13 when the latter is disposedin a horizontal position, that is, in a closed, locked position of thebreech 5. The remote control mechanism 67 includes a rotatable cammember 6), carried by a shaft 71 and a flexible cable or rod assembly 73attached to the cam member.

The cam member 69 comprises a main body portion 74 and a cam lever orarm 75 attached as a tangential extension thereof. The main body portion74- is provided with an axial bore through which the shaft 71 extends.The main body portion 74 is slidably mounted for movement axially on theshaft 71 as well as for rotation about the shaft. In other words, themain body portion is freely greases movable on the shaft. The cam member69 and shaft 71 are mounted with the shaft axis, disposed normal to thegun axis, that is, in a radial direction outwardly from the gun and in aposition parallel to the sear when the breech block 9 is locked withinthe gun chamber 3. Opposite ends of the shaft are journaled in oppositesides of a housing 77 provided for the remote control apparatus, thehousing being attached to the gun chamber 3 by any suitable means suchas bolts 79.

The main body portion 74 of the cam member is generally cylindrical inshape and is provided with twoparailel, oppositely disposed cam surfaces81, 83 (see Fig.3), a beveled surface 85 (see Fig. 2A), and a resetprojection 87 (see Fig. 2). The cam surfaces are machined or otherwiseprovided by portions of the cylindrical surface being cutaway along theouter and inner peripheral edges of the main body portion. For purposesof identification, the cam surfaces are designated outer 81 and inner 83earn surfaces. The beveled surface 85 is provided by cutting away aportion of the cylindrical surface along the outer peripheral edge ofthe main body portion but spaced circumferentially from the outer camsurface. The reset projection 87 is provided by that portion of the mainbody which forms a wall between the outer cam surface 81 and the beveledsurface 85.

The function of the outer and inner cam surfaces is to eifect movementof the cam member axially along the shaft 71. This is accomplished byinwardly offsetting a portion 89 of the inner side of the remote controlhousing 77 and mounting a pin 91 on the opposite outer :side of thehousing so that it extends inwardly therefrom. The parts are arranged sothat the outer cam surface 81 s engaged with the pin 91 and the innercam surface 83 is engaged with the extension 89. The cam surfaces arearranged in a manner such that, upon rotation of the cam member in aclockwise sense, as viewed from a position looking toward the cam memberfrom the side of the gun on which it is mounted, the inner cam surface83 engages the extension 89 and causes the cam member to move on theshaft away from the gun. On the other hand, opposite rotational movementof the cam member, that is, in a counterclockwise sense, causes theouter cam surface 81 to engage the pin 91 thereby moving the cam memberon the shaft toward the gun.

The purpose of the beveled surface 85 is to effect longitudinal movementof the sear outwardly from the gun thereby to release the firingmechanism. The beveled surface 35 is arranged to face rearwardly towardthe sear outer end 57. A lateral shoulder or extension 93, also referredto herein as the firing extension, is provided on the sear outer endportion 57 so that it projects forwardly to engage with the cam memberbevel surface 85. The inner edge 95 of the lateral shoulder is beveledcomplementary to the cam member beveled surface 85, and at such an anglethat, in response to the rotation of the cam member, a primary force iscreated in a direction radially outwardly from the gun, that is,parallel to the sear, thereby attempting to effect movement of the searin that same direction. In response to this force, a secondary force iscreated in a direction normal to the inclined plane of the beveledsurfaces 85, 95. The resultant of these two forces creates a third forcein a direction normal to the primary force thereby to cause the searand, sear link to pivot at their extremities against the leaf spring andbecome disconnected. In other ;,w ords, by rotation of the cam member inthe aforesaid clockwise sense, the sear and sear link are firstdisconnected from their normal locked engagement and the sear is thenmoved in az-direction to release the firing mechanism.

The cam lever or arm 75 is attached to the main body portion 74 for thepurpose of rotating the main body portion of the shaft 71. Remotecontrol operation of the cam member 69 is accomplished through a cableassembly 73 comprising a flexible cable 97 slidably mounted in asemitlexible cable conduit or housing 99. Oneerid of the cable 97 isattached to the free end of the-cant lever 75 by any suitable meanseither permanently or with a quick disconnect coupling arrangement. Thecable is arranged in any convenient manner whichwill effect rotation ofthe cam member 69. As shown in Figs. 2 and 2A, the cam lever 75 extendsdownwardly and the cable 97 extends forwardly therefrom. Any suitablemeans may be provided at the opposite end (not shown) of the cable 97for effecting operation of the remote control mechanism 67.

Resetting of the remote control mechanism 67 may be accomplished by aspring arrangement (not shown) provided as part of the operators controlfor moving the cable 97. However, a more positive resetting arrangementis provided by the reset projection 87 on the main body portion 74 ofthe rotatable cam 69. As shown in Fig. 2A of the drawing, the remotecontrol 67 has been operated to fire the gun. In this position, therotatable cam 69 has been limited in its clockwise movement by the resetprojection 87 being'brought into engagement with the top surface 101 ofthe sear lateral shoulder 93. If the rotatable cam has not yet beenreset by other means, when the breech bar 13 is raised to unlock thebreech 5 the lateral shoulder 93 will automatically bear against thereset projection and rotate the cam counterclockwise. With thisarrangement, the remote control is automatically reset.

Since the sear is independently movable with respect to the triggermechanism of either control, it is necessary to provide for resettingthe sear, thereby to recock the firing mechanism. In order to accomplishthis, opera tion of the breech handle to open the breech is utilized toreset the sear. The housing 77 containing the remote control rotatingcam 69 is provided with an extended portion 103 of arcuate shape, in thelongitudinal dimension, so that it conveniently fits the externalsurface of the gun chamber 3 at the breech end. The side 105 of theextended portion facing rearwardly of the gun is provided with twoparallel arcuate grooves 107, 109 separated by a partition or raisedportion 111 (see Fig. 6). For purposes of identification, the groovesare designated as outer 107 and inner 109 reset grooves. One end of eachgroove opens into that portion of the housing containing the cam member69. The opposite end of the outer groove 107 is directed inwardly sothat it opens into the inner groove 109 and provides a cam surface 113.Another lateral projection 115, also referred to herein as the resetextension, is provided on the sear 25. The sear reset extension 115 isdisposed inwardly from the firing extension 93 but facing in the samedirection, that is, forwardly. The reset extension 115 is arranged tofit within the arcuate grooves 107, 109 and to be freely slidabletherein.

The sear resetting arrangement operates regardless of which control isused and is as follows: when the firing mechanism 15 is retained by thesear 25 in a cocked position ready for firing and the breech bar 13 islocated in a horizontal position with the breech 5 locked in the chamber3, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the sear reset extension 115 isdisposed in an innermost position and aligned with the inner resetgroove 109. This position of the rest extension is shown in Fig. 5 ofthe drawings. Upon firing the gun, the sear is moved outwardly and thereset extension is likewise moved to an outermost position aligned withthe outer reset groove 107. This latter position of the reset extensionis shown in Fig. 5B of drawings. In the process of reloading andrecocking the gun, the breech bar 13 is rotated clockwise to unlock thebreech thereby to remove the expended round. At the same time, thebreech bar is rotated clockwise, while the reset extension follows theouter reset groove 107. Upon engaging the outer groove cam surface 113,the reset extension is guided radially inwardly into the inner groove109 and, at the same time, moves the sear radially inwardly.Simultaneous with inward movement of the sear, the hammer is drawn backto a cocked position and the inner end 35 of the sear is disposed withinthe hammer recess 37 to lock the hammer in its cocked ready-to-fireposition. Upon counterclockwise rotation of the breech bar, the resetextension follows the inner groove until the breech bar is again in ahorizontal locked position ready for firing. During the latter movementthe partition 111 dividing the reset grooves serves to prevent the searfrom accidentally becoming withdrawn from the hammer as well as toprotect the mechanism against premature firing by an operator using theproximate control. On the other hand, it will be observed that theapparatus is rendered safe against premature firing by an operator usingthe remote control since the remote control cam member is notoperatively connected with the sear extension 115 during resetting ofthe firing mechanism.

If, however, the sear should be withdrawn accidentally or otherwisewhile the breech block is removed from the gun chamber, another safetyfeature makes it impossible to close the breech until the sear has beenreset. This safety feature is embodied in the outer portion 117 of thereset groove housing adjacent to the reset groove cam surface 113.Before the breech block 9 can be moved into the gun chamber 3preparatory to locking the breech within the chamber, the breech bar 13and block 9 must be located in a fully rotated clockwise position. Inthe upwardly raised position of the breech bar, if the sear has beenmoved to a fired position with the sear reset extension 115 disposed inan outermost position, the reset extension will engage the housing outerportion 117 thereby interfering with the breech block being movedcompletely into the gun chamber. Obviously, before the breech can beclosed and locked within the gun chamber, the sear must be reset so thatthe reset extension will clear the housing portion 117 and be disposedwithin the upper end portion of the inner groove 109. This safetyfeature assures that the sear must be so located as to retain the hammerin the firing or cocked position before the gun can be closed, therebyeffectively preventing the likelihood of a hair trigger or partiallyengaged sear condition.

In addition to the safety feature provided by the partition 111 betweenthe reset grooves 107, 109 for protecting against premature firing bythe sear during recocking of the firing mechanism, a further safetydevice is provided for protecting the apparatus against accidental orpremature firing after the firing mechanism is cocked and prior tointention to fire the gun. This further safety device is intended toprevent withdrawal of the sear until intentionally done so by means ofeither control 39, 67. This safety feature is provided by the shoulder119 disposed between that portion of the sear defining the sear linkreceiving recess 59 and that portion of the sear adjacent to the recess66 into which the inner end of the sear link is movable during operationby the remote control. In other words, while the parts are disposed in anormal locked position, as seen in Fig. of the drawings, the biasedcondition of the sear link and sear keeps these parts locked together.Since the recess 59 is only large enough to receive the sear link endportion 55, the shoulder 117 prevents longitudinal movement of the searas long as neither control is operated. Thus, the sear is prevented fromaccidental withdrawal from the hammer. On the other hand, a furthersafety feature provided for the proximate control is afforded by the useof such a control as described in the aforementioned patent. This lattersafety feature is more particularly described in the patent and isrepresented by an arrangement which requires rotation of the handle inthe order to unlock the trigger button for operation.

If, however, the remote control should be operated for I any reasonwhile the breech is in an open unlocked position, it will be observedthat the breech cannot be closed until the remote control is releasedand the cam member returned to its innermost position. This is sobecause the sear lateral extension 93 will engage the cam member,

in such a manner as to prevent the breech block 9 from being rotated toa normal locked position within the breech. Until the breech block isreturned to this normal locked position, the remote control cannotengage the sear to fire the gun and the sear lateral extension 93 willnot be clear of the partition 11 to allow firing by the proximatecontrol.

From the foregoing description it will become apparent that the presentinvention provides a dual control for operating the firing mechanism ofa gun. The arrangement is such that the gun may be fired from either aproximate or a remote position. While both the proximate and remotecontrols are arranged for independent operation the safety featuresprovided are such as to prevent accidental firing during reloading ofthe firearm and resetting of the firing mechanism as well as to preventpremature firing of the gun by operating either control prior to the gunbeing conditioned for firing.

Although there has been described and shown but a single embodiment ofthe present invention, it will become obvious to persons skilled in theart that various modifications and changes are possible within thespirit of the invention. For example the flexible cable for operatingthe rotating cam member of the remote control apparatus may comprise arod or other operating member. In addition thereto, the cable or rodneed not be disposed for movement in directions substantially parallelto the gun bore axis as shown but may be disposed in other suitablepositions. Therefore, it is desired that the above description andattached drawings be considered merely as illustrative and not aslimiting the invention which is defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In an apparatus for a percussion-type firing mechanism including asear connected with said firing mechanism for effecting operationthereof, the combination of proximate control means and remote controlmeans connected with said sear for independently effecting operationthereof, said proximate control means including trigger means and a searlink disposed between said trigger means and said sear, means biasingsaid sear link into locking engagement normally with said sear, andmeans connected with said sear for disengaging said sear link fromlocked engagement with said sear in response to operation of said remotecontrol means.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said disengaging meanscomprises a first laterally extending shoulder on said sear, a rotatablemember having a cam surface connected with said remote control means andengaged with said first shoulder said member being disposed to effectmovement of said sear in a direction both to disengage said sear fromsaid firing mechanism and simultaneously therewith to disengage saidsear link from said sear in response to operation of said remote controlmeans.

3. The invention as defined in claim 2 wherein the axis of rotation ofsaid rotatable member is disposed substantially parallel to thedirection of movement of said sear.

4. The invention as defined in claim 2 wherein said mechanism includesmeans operatively connected with said sear for re-engaging said searwith said firing mechanism.

5. The invention as defined in claim 4 wherein said reengaging meansincludes a second laterally extending shoulder on said sear, and meansdisposed for engagement with said second shoulder for effecting movementof said sear.

6. In a gun having a barrel and a chamber associated therewith, a breechblock carried by said gun disposed for movement into and out of the rearportion of said chamber and a percussion-type firing mechanism carriedby said breech block, an apparatus for firing said firing mechanismcomprising proximate control means, remote control means, said proximatecontrol means including a trigger and a scar link connected therewith, asear conmeeting said sear link and said remote control means with saidfiring mechanism, means biasing said sear link into locking engagementnormally with said sear, and means carried by said sear for disengagingsaid sear link from locked engagement therewith in response to operationof said remote control means.

7. The invention as defined in claim 6 wherein said apparatus includesresetting means carried by said gun barrel, said resetting means beingdisposed for engagement with said sear to effect movement of said searinto engagement with said firing mechanism.

8. The invention as defined in claim 7 wherein said breech block isdisposed for movement between a locked position and an unlocked positionwithin said chamber, said resetting means being disposed for engagementwith said sear thereby to move said sear into engagement with saidfiring mechanism, said resetting means being responsive only upon movingsaid breech block from its said locked position to its said unlockedposition.

10 9. The invention as defined in claim 8 wherein said resetting meansincludes means for maintaining said sear in engagement with said firingmechanism while said breech block is disposed in its unlocked postion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

